It is well known that natural gas is a clean and relatively inexpensive fuel source. As such, gas distribution systems have been widely installed in various population centers throughout the United States and many other countries of the world. To supply and provide gas service to end users, such as commercial and residential consumers, service pipelines are typically branched from main gas distribution pipelines laid along a utility route, for instance, under a roadway. These service pipelines typically incorporate an above ground shut-off valve, a pressure regulator for stepping down gas pressure to a gas meter, and therefrom the meter is plumbed to a gas inlet connection pipe typically stubbed outwardly from a side wall of the dwelling or facility.
A typical residential gas meter set assembly such as that shown in FIG. 1 may include a formed turned back U-fitting for mounting a pressure regulator, a regulator valve, and a strap defining a spacer bracket secured between such regulator and U-fitting. An example of such a meter set can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,331 to Lyall et al. and assigned to the present assignee, and is incorporated fully herein by reference. The U-fitting is formed from a length of metallic pipe and bent using an appropriate pipe bender to form a radiused U-shaped configuration to define parallel long and short legs, providing an inlet end and outlet end spaced apart and oriented to, in final assembly, locate the pressure regulator relative to the meter (not shown). The inlet end is formed with external threads and the outlet end is formed by a female threaded union fitting.
Traditional manufacture of the residential meter set assembly calls for fabrication of the meter set assembly using steel pipe with “hot headed” ends, bent as required, and welded to a portion of steel bar to maintain spacing and alignment. Following fabrication, the meter set assembly is zinc plated using an electrodeposition process for corrosion protection. U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,400 to Jackson et al. is illustrative of the techniques for applying corrosion resistant coating to a steel residential MSA. However, it has been discovered that bubbles tend to form in the polyester powder top coating due to gases released from the zinc plating bottom coat fabricated meter bar. The bubbles are undesirable from an aesthetics standpoint as it results in an uneven, rough surface, and further has an effect on the corrosion resistance due to increased exposure of the zinc plating to corrosive elements. The art is in need of an improved method that overcomes the shortcomings of the above-described process for manufacturing residential meter MSA bars.